Honeymoon

Chapter 81

ELAINE AND ALLISON could hardly believe their ears. They weren’t used to Nora talking about another man—not since her husband, Tom, had died suddenly.

But that’s what their good friend was doing as they ate dinner amid the exposed brick walls of the Mercer Kitchen in SoHo that night. In fact, talking didn’t begin to describe it. Gushing was more like it. This was so not Nora.

“There’s this incredible energy with him, just beneath the surface. This quiet confidence I just love. He’s down-to-earth, but he’s special.”

“Wow. Who knew insurance guys could be so sexy?” joked Elaine.

“Certainly not me,” said Nora. “But Craig, well, he shouldn’t be an insurance man.”

“More important, how does he dress?” asked Allison, ever the fashion editor.

“Nice suits, but nothing stuffy. He likes to go open collar. I don’t think I’ve seen him in a tie.”

“Okay, let’s cut to the chase,” said Elaine with a wave of her hand. “How is your fella in bed?”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Elaine!”

“What? We tell each other everything.”

“Yeah, but they just met. How do you know they’ve even had sex yet?” Allison turned to Nora with a sneaky grin.

“We’ve had sex.”

Elaine and Allison leaned forward on their elbows. “And?” they both asked simultaneously.

Nora, in complete control of the moment, took a slow sip of her cosmopolitan. “The sex was okay…. No, I’m kidding. It was incredible.”

The three of them laughed like teenagers.

“I am so jealous,” said Elaine.

Nora got a little serious suddenly, and it surprised even her. “I don’t feel alone when I’m with him. I haven’t felt like that in a long time. I think… I think we’re a lot alike.”

Elaine turned to Allison. “Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong place. A city of a million single men and she meets Mr. Incredible out in the ’burbs.”

“You didn’t tell us, what were you doing there in the first place?” asked Allison.

“I’ve got a client in Briarcliff Manor,” said Nora. “I was in Chappaqua at an antiques store and there he was, looking for old fly-fishing rods. He collects them.”

“And the rest is history,” said Allison.

“She reeled him in from there,” added Elaine. “I repeat, I am so jealous!”

She wasn’t really and Nora knew it. The only thing Elaine was, was happy—happy that her friend, who hadn’t seemed able to get on with her life, had met someone. And Allison was equally happy for Nora.

“So when do we meet this Craig?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Elaine. “When do we get to meet Mr. Incredible?”